The term web services can refer to services that a service provider makes available to customers or applications via the world wide web. Examples of services that might be provided include the ability of a customer or application to enter an order, the ability to check on the status of an order, the ability to manage customer account information, the ability to create and manage trouble tickets, and the ability to manage billing information.
Prior to the introduction of web services, such services would typically be performed manually. For example, if a customer wished to check on the status of an order, the customer might telephone an account manager at the company with which the order was placed. The customer would inform the account manager of the information that was requested and the account manager might relay the request to an internal group appropriate for the type of request. The internal group might then manually retrieve the requested information and return the information to the account manager, who would then provide the information to the customer.
The use of web services can allow such a request to be handled in an automated fashion. An application executing on a customer's computer system might automatically send an order status request, for example, to a service provider's computer system. The request might be sent via well-known protocols such as XML, UDDI, or SOAP. Upon receiving the request, the service provider's computer system might automatically retrieve the appropriate information and return it to the customer's computer system. A custom application programming interface (API) might be created to allow communication between the two computing systems.